Towel dispenser

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an improved towel dispenser. Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved towel dispenser comprised of a towel receptacle, a receptacle lid, and an adjustable wall mounting mechanism. The towel receptacle comprises a superior and inferior opening and is shaped in a manner that inclines towels stored therein towards the inferior opening. The receptacle lid is mounted such that towels are sealed within the towel receptacle during normal use. The adjustable wall mounting mechanism is utilized to mount the towel receptacle and the receptacle lid in a manner that enables the towel receptacle to be repositioned on a vertical track with ease. This repositioning enables the improved towel dispenser to be reloaded with ease.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel towel dispensing device. Moreparticularly, embodiments of the present invention pertain to animproved towel dispenser for dispensing cloth towels without the need tofirst arrange them in a particular matter.

DISCUSSION OF THE BACKGROUND

Towels are a valuable commodity found in almost every household andbusiness. While there are a large variety of towel dispensers currentlyon the market that enable ease of distribution and use of a towelproduct, they all come with their fair share of limitations. Most toweldispensers are limited to a certain material organized in apre-determined arrangement (e.g., folding, stacking, etc.) to enable adispenser to properly dispense towels. For example, the vast majority oftowel dispensers are limited to relatively small, thin, and disposablepaper sheets that must be rolled or folded in a particular manner toenable proper dispensing. Such dispensers are incompatible with reusablecloth towels due to the impracticality of folding or rolling the towelsfor dispensing.

Salons, barbers, and several hygiene service businesses use a great dealof textile towels every day, having to use a new towel for eachcustomer. These business waste significant manhours folding and storingtextile towels for use with customers. Thus, there remains a need for animproved towel dispenser that enables ease of use and distribution ofcloth towels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved towel dispenser for usewith textile towels (e.g., cloth, terrycloth, etc.). Embodiments of thepresent invention provide an improved towel dispenser comprised of atowel receptacle, a receptacle lid, and an adjustable wall mountingmechanism. The towel receptacle comprises a superior and inferioropening and is shaped in a tapered manner that inclines towels storedtherein towards the inferior opening. The receptacle lid is mounted suchthat the receptacle can be sealed against the lid, and hold clean towelswithin the towel receptacle during normal use without contamination withhair, dust, or other potential contaminants in the ambient air. Theadjustable wall mounting mechanism is utilized to mount the towelreceptacle and the receptacle lid in a manner that enables the towelreceptacle to be repositioned on a vertical track. This repositioningenables the improved towel dispenser, hereinafter referred to as thedispenser, to be reloaded easily.

The present invention may have two primary orientations, a reloadingorientation, and a dispensing orientation. The dispensing orientation isthe orientation the dispenser is in during normal usage, wherein a towelmay be easily grasped by or dispensed to a user. The dispenser may beset to the dispensing orientation by using the adjustable mountingmechanism to reposition the towel receptacle to the uppermost point onthe vertical track. This orientation enables the receptacle lid toproperly seal the superior opening of the towel receptacle and preventany contamination and debris in the ambient air from entering the towelreceptacle. The dispenser may be set to a reloading orientation byutilizing the adjustable mounting mechanism to reposition the towelreceptacle at or near the lowermost point on the vertical track. Thisorientation enables a human operator to reload the towel receptacle withease by providing easy access to the large superior opening of the towelreceptacle to the operator.

In the present invention, the towel receptacle may be comprised ofplastic, metal, wood, or any material rigid enough to hold a severaltextile towels within the towel receptacle without deformation. Amaximum load of towels may be the maximum volume of towels that thetowel dispenser can hold when the receptacle is raised to meet the lid.For example, the maximum load may be, e.g., 40 hand towels having awidth of 12 inches and a height of 24 inches or about 5 pounds to about30 pounds of textile towel mass.

In the present invention, the towel receptacle comprises a shape thatcauses the towels stored therein to be inclined towards the inferioropening of the towel receptacle, enabling the distribution of clothtowels with ease. The towel receptacle shape may be a protruding andtapering portion that may be a portion of a polyhedron, ellipsoid,cylinder, conical, or a mixture thereof. The shape of the towelreceptacle may comprise a flat side or edge utilized to attach the towelreceptacle to the adjustable mounting mechanism. In some embodiments,the shape of the towel receptacle may be to resemble half a funnel witha flat side (i.e., semi-conical) that's utilized to install theadjustable mounting mechanism. In such embodiments, the towel receptaclemay have a superior opening with a radius in a range of about 8 inchesto about 24 inches (e.g., about 11 inches, about 15 inches, about 20inches, or any value therein) that narrows linearly to a radius of about2 inches to about 6 inches (e.g., about 3.5 inches, about 5 inches, orany value therein) at the inferior opening. In some embodiments, thesuperior opening may have a width in the range of about 16 inches toabout 48 inches (e.g., about 22 inches, about 30 inches, about 40inches, or any value therein) and a depth in the range of about 6 inchesto about 30 inches. In some embodiments, the inferior opening may have awidth in the range of about 4 inches to about 12 inches (e.g., about 6inches, about 10 inches, or any value therein) and a depth in the rangeof about 2 inches to about 8 inches. In some embodiments, the dispensermay have a height of about 18 inches to about 50 inches wherein theheight is determined by the distance between the inferior opening andsuperior opening. For example, the conical-shaped towel receptacle mayhave a height of about 30 inches with a superior opening with a radiusof about 12 inches that narrows linearly to a radius of about 4.5 inchesat the inferior opening. In some embodiments, the towel receptacle mayhave a lower section and an upper section, with the lower section havinga tapered shape (e.g., having a conical shape) and an upper section witha more uniform width (e.g., a cylindrical shape).

In the present invention, the towel receptacle comprises a superioropening for reloading, and an inferior opening for dispensing. Both thesuperior and inferior opening may be shaped to have polygonal, ellipsis,semi-ellipsis, semi-circular, or other appropriate shape. The size andshape of each opening may be determined by one or more dimensions. Thedimension(s) may depend on the desired shape of the upper or loweropening for a particular towel receptacle, and may include the length ofa side, chord, radius, arc, or even one or more angle in the shape. Forexample, for a towel receptacle with a semi-conical structure, bothopenings may have a semicircular or semi-ellipsis shape wherein thedimension that dictates the size of the opening may be the radius of thecircle. For example, for a towel receptacle with an inverted pyramidstructure, both openings may have a triangular shape wherein thedimensions that dictate the size of the opening may be a side and angleof the triangles.

In the present invention, the magnitude of the dimension that determinesthe size of each opening may be determined by the size of towelreceptacle and/or the size of the towel's being dispensed therefrom. Thedimension of the superior opening may be proportional to the size of thetowel receptacle. For example, for a towel receptacle with asemi-conical structure, the superior opening may be a semicircle with aradius (i.e., the dimension) of approximately 12 inches for a receptacleheight of about 30 inches and about 18 inches for a towel receptacleheight of about 45 inches (e.g., a ratio of 2:5). The magnitude of thedimension of the inferior opening may depend on the properties of thetowels. Hand towels are typically 15 by 25 inches or 18 by 30 inches,and for a towel receptacle with a semi-conical structure having a heightof approximately 30 inches, the inferior opening may be a semicirclewith a radius (i.e., the dimension) of at least 3 inches to allow thetowels to be easily removed therefrom without allowing the towels tofall through the hole without being pulled by a human operator. Themagnitude of the dimension may also depend on the desired width and/ordepth of the respective opening. For example, if the desired width of asuperior opening is 24 inches for a towel receptacle with a semi-conicalstructure, the magnitude of the radius (i.e., the dimension) may bedetermined to be 12 inches.

The inferior opening of the towel receptacle may further comprise agrommet, operable to aid in preventing towels from falling out of thedispenser. The grommet may be comprised of a pliable material, such asplastic, rubber, or other polymeric material. The grommet may includemultiple flaps and a central opening to allow the human operator toreach into and grasp a towel near the inferior opening. In otherembodiments, the inferior opening may have a gasket with a centralopening having a diameter of at least two inches.

In the present invention, the receptacle lid has a shape and sizecomplimentary to the superior opening of the towel receptacle and isintended to seal the towels within the towel receptacle and preventatmospheric particles or debris from entering the towel receptacleduring normal use. In some embodiments, the receptacle lid is fixed atthe upper end of the vertical track of the adjustable wall mountingmechanism. The lid may allow the towel receptacle to be sealed onlyduring normal usage. This enables the superior opening of the towelreceptacle to be exposed for a reloading process when the towelreceptacle is repositioned further below via the adjustable wallmounting mechanism.

The present invention comprises an adjustable wall mounting mechanismthat is utilized to mount the receptacle lid and towel receptacle. Theadjustable mounting mechanism may be comprised of two parts, a fixedmount and an adjustable mount. The fixed mount is operable to fix thereceptacle lid in place such that, during normal usage, the superioropening is sealed by the receptacle lid such that hair, dust, and otherdebris may not enter the towel receptacle. The fixed mount may be basedon brackets, screws/nails, adhesives or any mounting mechanism operableto firmly affix the receptacle lid in place. The adjustable mount isoperable not only to mount the towel receptacle onto a flat surface, butto adjust the position of the towel receptacle on a vertical track. Theadjustable mount may be based off drawer slides, rollers/carriages(e.g., ball bearing carriages, sleeve bearing carriages, track rollercarriages, roller bearing carriages, track rollers, etc.) with guiderails, linear motion shaft, positioning slides, or any mountingmechanism that may reposition the towel receptacle on a vertical track.For example, the adjustable mount may be a traveler on a track having aball-bearing mechanism to reduce friction. The track may be vertical andmay support the towel receptacle and the corresponding load. The ballbearing mechanism may be operable to enable the traveler to move freelyand easily along the track. In some embodiments, the adjustable mountmay further comprise a motor operable to automatically reposition thetowel receptacle at the press of a button. For example, the adjustablemount may be powered by an electric motor belt drive mechanism that mayreposition the dispenser between a reloading orientation and dispensingorientation once a toggle switch is pressed.

The adjustable mount may further comprise a locking mechanism, operableto lock the towel receptacle in place at one or more points on thevertical track. The points may be the uppermost and/or the lower mostpoints on the vertical track, such that the towel receptacle may belocked to either the dispensing orientation or reloading orientation. Insome embodiments, the receptacle may be locked into position at anypoint along the vertical track. In some embodiments, the lockingmechanism may be integrated into the adjustable mount, wherein thelocking may be controlled manually such as with a hand brake, switch orby applying force to the adjustable mount in a particular manner (i.e.,push-to-open). For example, an adjustable mount may comprise a ballbearing carriage and guide rails system with a hand brake, wherein theball bearing carriage may support the towel receptacle and lock it inplace via the hand brake anywhere on the guide rails. In otherembodiments, the locking mechanism may be an entirely separate componentfrom the adjustable mount, such as a simple tab operable to lock thetowel receptacle and the adjustable mount and holding it at a point.

In some embodiments, the dispenser may alternatively be mounted on amobile base (e.g., a cart or moveable stand) that allows the dispenserto be moved from station to station in an environment (e.g., from chairto chair in a salon). In such embodiments, certain features of thedispenser may be altered. For example, the shape of the dispenser may bea complete cone, e.g., mounted on a ring on the stand or cart into whichthe dispenser is placed. In other embodiments, the semi-circular conicaldispenser may be mounted on a flat vertical surface on the cart ormoveable stand. In such embodiments, the lid may have a differentconfiguration. For example, the lid may be a hinged, pivoting lid, apressure-fitting lid, or other design in mobile embodiments.

In some embodiments, a window may be present in the wall of thereceptacle to allow the amount of towels in the dispenser to beobserved. The window may have a width sufficient to see the generallevel of the towels in the dispenser. The window may be made of atransparent polymer or glass sheet embedded or attached to the sidewallof the receptacle.

The shape of the present invention, along with its ability to be easilyrepositioned into a reloading orientation, vastly reduces the amount ofeffort and time an operator must expend in organizing towels for use.Clean towels can simply be dumped into the receptacle through thesuperior opening of the receptacle when the receptacle is lowered on thevertical track away from the lid. The shape of the towel receptacleenables the dispenser to utilize gravitational force to incline thetowels therein towards the inferior opening, enabling any textile towelto be easily dispensed/grasped from the inferior opening of the towelreceptacle, regardless of orientation of the towel. In other words, theshape of the towel receptacle enables the dispenser to be easily loadedwith towels without the need to fold, roll or arrange the towels in anyparticular manner. The towel receptacle's ability to be repositionedfurther simplifies the process by making the superior opening of thetowel receptacle more accessible. For example, while conventionalmethods would require an operator to fold each individual towel andplace them in an area safe from atmospheric particles/debris (e.g.,water, hair, dust, etc.), the present invention may enable the operatorto simply reposition the towel receptacle into a reloading orientation,dump all towels into the towel receptacle, and reposition the towelreceptacle.

In one aspect the present invention is an improved towel dispenser fordistributing cloth towel with ease comprising: a towel receptacle havinga superior opening, an inferior opening, and a portion with a taperingshape; a receptacle lid to seal the superior opening during normal use,and an adjustable wall mounting mechanism operable to mount the towelreceptacle lid and reposition the towel receptacle between a reloadingorientation and a dispensing orientation. The towel receptacle may havea tapering shape that inclines towels towards the inferior opening andmay contain a flat side that enables the towel receptacle to be mountedon a flat surface via the adjustable wall mounting mechanism. Thedispenser may have a semi-conical shape. The inferior and superioropenings of the towel receptacle may each have a shape that ispolygonal, ellipsis, semi-ellipses, semicircular, or a mixture thereofwherein the size of each opening may have one or more dimensions. Thesuperior opening may have a size that allows towels to be easily dumpedinto the opening from a basket or other receptacle, and may have a widthin a range of about 16 inches to about 40 inches, and a depth in a rangeof about 6 inches to about 30 inches. The magnitude of the dimension ofthe inferior opening may depend on the properties of the towel, suchthat the inferior opening has a size that is sufficient to allow towelsto be pulled through the opening without the towels falling through theopening without being pulled by a human operator. The inferior openingmay have a width of about two inches to about 6 inches and a depth inthe range of about 2 inches to 6 inches.

The properties that control the passage of the towels through thedispenser may be size, texture, and/or material of the towels and theshape and size of the towel receptacle. The magnitude of the dimensionof the inferior opening may also depend on the size and shape of thetowel receptacle. The towel receptacle may have a semi-conical shapewith a height of in a range of about 18 inches to about 50 inches, asuperior opening having a semi-circle shape with a radius (i.e., thedimension) of approximately 12 inches, and an inferior opening having asemicircular shape with a radius of approximately 4.5 inches. Theinferior opening further may further comprise a rubber grommet or gasketoperable to prevent the towels from falling from the inferior opening.The adjustable wall mounting mechanism may be comprised of a fixed mountand an adjustable mount. The fixed mount may be operable to fix thereceptacle lid in place and may include brackets, screws/nails,adhesives or any mounting mechanism operable to firmly affix thereceptacle lid in place. The adjustable mount may be operable to mountthe towel receptacle on a flat surface and reposition it on a verticaltrack. The towel receptacle may be in a reloading orientation when thetowel receptacle is at or near the lowermost point on the verticaltrack. The towel receptacle may be in the dispensing orientation when atthe towel receptacle is at the uppermost point on the vertical track.The adjustable mount may be rollers/carriages with guide rails, linearmotion shaft, or positioning slides. The adjustable mount may furthercomprise a locking mechanism, operable to lock the towel receptacle atone or more points on the vertical track, wherein at least one of thepoints may be the uppermost point on the track. The adjustable mount maybe based on rollers/carriages with guide rails, wherein the guide railsprovide the vertical track.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved toweldispenser operable of dispensing and being reloaded with ease.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improvedtowel dispenser operable of dispensing cloth towels without the need toarrange them in any particular manner in advance.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improvedtowel dispenser having a reloading orientation to be reloaded quicklyand easily by an operator.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improvedtowel dispenser having tower receptacle shape that inclines towelstowards an inferior opening for towel disbursement.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improvedtowel dispenser having a dispensing orientation enabling a user toeasily grasp/receive a towel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a rear perspective view of an improved towel dispenserdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows a rear perspective view of an improved towel dispenserdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1C shows a rear perspective view of an improved towel dispenserdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an improved towel dispenser device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a rear view of an improved towel dispenser device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a first side view of an improved towel dispenser device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a second side view of an improved towel dispenser device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of an improved towel dispenser device, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A shows a bottom view of an improved towel dispenser device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7B shows a bottom view of an improved towel dispenser device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows the transition from a reloading orientation to a dispensingorientation, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. While the invention will be described in reference to theseembodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limitthe invention. To the contrary, the invention is intended to coveralternatives, modifications, and equivalents that are included withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. In thefollowing disclosure, specific details are given to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to oneskilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced withoutthese specific details.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-7B, embodiments of the present invention provide animproved towel dispenser 100 comprised of a towel receptacle 101, areceptacle lid 103, and an adjustable wall mounting mechanism 106. Thetowel receptacle 101 comprises a superior opening 102, an inferioropening 104, and a shape that inclines towels stored therein towards theinferior opening 104. The receptacle lid 103 is mounted such that towelsare sealed within the towel receptacle 101 during normal use. Theadjustable wall mounting 106 mechanism is utilized to mount the towelreceptacle and the receptacle lid in a manner that enables the towelreceptacle 101 to be repositioned on a vertical track with ease. Thisrepositioning enables the improved towel dispenser 101, to allow thedispenser to be reloaded with fresh towels. The embodiment of FIG. 1C,includes window 150 to allow the amount of towels in the receptacle 101to be viewed from the exterior thereof.

As shown in FIG. 8, present invention may have two primary orientations,a reloading orientation 111, and a dispensing orientation 112. Thedispensing orientation 112 is the orientation the dispenser is in duringnormal usage, wherein a towel may be easily grasped by or dispensed to auser. The dispenser 100 may be set to the dispensing orientation byusing the adjustable mounting mechanism 106 to reposition the towelreceptacle 101 to the uppermost point on the vertical track. Thisorientation enables the receptacle lid 103 to properly seal the superioropening of the towel receptacle 101 and prevent any atmosphericparticles/debris from entering the towel receptacle 101. The reloadingorientation 112 is the orientation the dispenser 100 is in during areloading process. The dispenser may be set to the reloading orientation111 by utilizing the adjustable mounting mechanism 106 to reposition thetowel receptacle 101 to the lowermost point on the vertical track. Thisorientation enables an operator to reload the towel receptacle 101 withease by increasing the operator's accessibility of the superior opening102 of the towel receptacle.

In the present invention, the towel receptacle 101 may be comprised ofplastic, metal, wood, or any material rigid enough to allow substantialcompression of the towels within the towel receptacle without causingthe towel receptacle to break or expand. Substantial compression heremay be defined here as the amount of compression within the towelreceptacle when the towel receptacle is carrying a maximum load oftowels. The maximum load of towels may be the maximum volume of towelsthat the towel receptacle is operable to hold. For example, the maximumload may be in a range of about 20 to about 40 hand towels having awidth of about 12 inches and a height of 24 inches. In order to minimizeuser error, the maximum weight that the system can hold may besignificantly more (e.g., about 10% to 30%) than the weight of a maximumload of towels the towel receptacle is operable to hold.

As shown in FIG. 1, the towel receptacle 101 comprises a shape thatcauses the towels stored therein to be inclined towards the inferioropening 104 of the towel receptacle, enabling the distribution of clothtowels from the inferior opening. While the towel receptacle 101 isshown to have a semi-funnel shape, the shape may be a polyhedron,ellipsoid, cylinder, a cone, or a mixture thereof. The shape of thetowel receptacle 101 may comprise a flat side 105 or edge utilized toattach the towel receptacle 101 to the adjustable mounting mechanism 106adjacent to a wall. In some embodiments, the shape of the towelreceptacle 101 may be to resemble half a funnel (i.e., semi-conical)with a flat side 105 that's utilized to install the adjustable mountingmechanism 106. As shown in FIG. 2, in such embodiments, the towelreceptacle 101 may have a superior opening 102 with a radius 114 in arange of about 8 inches to about 24 inches (e.g., about 11 inches, about15 inches or any value therein) that narrows linearly to a radius 115 ofabout 2 inches to about 6 inches (e.g., about 4 inches, or any valuetherein) at the inferior opening 104. In some embodiments, the superioropening 102 may have a width in the range of about 16 inches to about 48inches (e.g., about 22 inches, about 30 inches, about 40 inches, or anyvalue therein) and a depth in the range of about 6 inches to about 30inches. In some embodiments, the inferior opening 104 may have a widthin the range of about 4 inches to about 12 inches (e.g., about 6 inches,about 10 inches, or any value therein) and a depth in the range of about2 inches to about 6 inches. In some embodiments, the dispenser 100 mayhave a height of about 18 inches to about 50 inches wherein the heightis determined by the distance 113 between the inferior opening 104 andsuperior opening 102. For example, the conical-shaped towel receptacle101 may have a height of about 30 inches with a superior opening 102with a radius 114, e.g., of about 12 inches that narrows linearly to aradius 115, e.g., of about 3.5 inches at the inferior opening 104. Insome embodiments, the volume of the towel receptacle 101 may be expandedby adding an extension (e.g., a semi-cylinder portion to the upper endof the towel receptacle 101). This increase in volume within the towelreceptacle 101 allows for more towel capacity.

In the present invention, the towel receptacle 101 comprises a superioropening 102 for reloading, and an inferior opening 104 for dispensing.Both the superior and inferior opening may be shaped to have polygonal,ellipsis, semi-ellipsis or a mixture thereof, wherein the size of eachopening may be construed from one or more dimensions. The dimension(s)may depend on the desired shape of the opening(s) for a particular towelreceptacle, and may include the length of a side, chord, radius, arc, oreven one or more angle in the shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, atowel receptacle with a semi-conical structure, both openings (102 and104) may have a semicircular or semi-ellipsis shape wherein thedimension that dictates the size of the opening may be the radius (114and 115) of the circle.

As shown in FIG. 1, inferior opening of the towel receptacle may includea grommet 109 to aid in retaining the towels in the dispenser. Thegrommet 109, may be comprised of polymeric material, such as rubber,silicone, PTFE, or other such materials. The grommet 109 may provide anopening having a radius of about 2 inches to about 6 inches (e.g., about3 inches, about 3.5 inches, or any value therein). In some embodiments,the inferior opening 104 may be the grommet 109 or completely sealedexcept for the grommet, wherein the grommet is the only openingavailable through which to dispense towels. In some embodiments, thedevice may alternatively utilize a gasket in place of the grommet 109.

In the present invention, the receptacle lid 103 has a shape and sizecomplimentary to the superior opening 102 of the towel receptacle and isintended to seal the towels within the towel receptacle and preventatmospheric particles or debris from entering the towel receptacleduring normal use. In some embodiments, the receptacle lid 103 is fixedat the tip of the adjustable wall mounting mechanism. This enables thesuperior opening 102 of the towel receptacle to be exposed for areloading process when the towel receptacle is repositioned furtherbelow via the adjustable wall mounting mechanism 106.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention comprises an adjustable wallmounting mechanism 106 that's utilized to mount the receptacle lid 103and towel receptacle 101. The adjustable mounting mechanism 106 may becomprised of two parts, a fixed mount 107 and an adjustable mount 108.The fixed mount 106 is operable to fix the receptacle lid in place suchthat, during normal usage, the superior opening 102 is sealed by thereceptacle lid such that ambient materials and debris may not enter thetowel receptacle. The fixed mount 107 may be based on brackets,screws/nails, adhesives or any mounting mechanism operable to firmlyaffix the receptacle lid 103 in place. The adjustable mount 108 isoperable not only to mount the towel receptacle onto a flat surface, butto adjust the position of the towel receptacle on a vertical track. Theadjustable mount 108 may be a roller/carriage (e.g., ball bearingcarriages, sleeve bearing carriages, track roller carriages, rollerbearing carriages, track rollers, etc.) with guide rails, linear motionshaft, positioning slides, or any mounting mechanism that may repositionthe towel receptacle on the vertical track. For example, as shown inFIG. 1A, the adjustable mount may be a sliding traveler 108B operable tosupport a load (i.e., a towel receptacle), a track 108A operable to bemounted on a flat surface and provide a track (i.e., a vertical track)that may support the drawer profile and the corresponding load, andbetween ball bearings the track 108A and the traveler 108B operable toenable the traveler 108B to move freely and easily within the track108A. The adjustable mount 108 may further comprise a motor operable toautomatically reposition the towel receptacle at the press of a button.For example, the adjustable mount may be powered by an electric motorbelt drive mechanism that is operable to reposition the dispenser 101between a reloading orientation and dispensing orientation.

As shown in FIG. 8, the adjustable mount 108 may further comprise alocking mechanism 113, operable to lock the towel receptacle 101 inplace at points on the vertical track. The points may be the uppermostand/or the lower most points on the vertical track, such that the towelreceptacle 101 may be locked in the either the dispensing orientation orreloading orientation. In some embodiments, the receptacle may be lockedinto position at any point along the vertical track. In someembodiments, the locking mechanism 113 may be inherent in the adjustablemount, wherein the locking occurs naturally due to limitations of themount (i.e., the upper and lower boundaries of the drawer slides/rails).In some embodiments the locking mechanism 113 may be an integratedcomponent of the adjustable mount, wherein the locking may be controlledmanually such as with a hand brake, switch or by applying force to theadjustable mount in a particular manner (i.e., push-to-open). Forexample, an adjustable mount may comprise a ball bearing carriage andguide rails system with a hand brake, wherein the ball bearing carriagemay support the towel receptacle and lock it in place via the hand brakeanywhere on the guide rails. In other embodiments, the locking mechanism113 may be a component separate from the adjustable mount, such as asimple tab operable to lock the towel receptacle and the adjustablemount and holding it at a specific point. In some embodiments

The shape of the present invention 100, along with its ability to beeasily repositioned into a reloading orientation 111, vastly reduces theamount of effort and time an operator must expend in order to reload thetowel receptacle 101. The shape of the towel receptacle 101 enables thedispenser to utilize gravitational force to advance the towels towardsthe inferior opening 104, enabling any cloth towel to be easilydispensed/grasped from the inferior opening 104 of the towel receptacle101, regardless of orientation of the towel. In other words, the shapeof the towel receptacle 101 enables the dispenser to be easily loadedwith towels 110 without the need to fold, roll or arrange the towels inany particular manner.

It should be understood that the foregoing descriptions of specificembodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes ofillustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviouslymany modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and its practical application,and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize theinvention and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated.

1. An improved towel dispenser for distributing textile towels with easecomprised of: a. a towel receptacle further comprising a superioropening, an inferior opening, and having a tapering shape; b. areceptacle lid to seal said superior opening during normal use; and c.an adjustable wall mounting mechanism operable to mount said towelreceptacle lid and reposition said towel receptacle between a reloadingorientation and a dispensing orientation.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein said towel receptacle has a shape that tapers towels towardssaid inferior opening.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein said towelreceptacle has a shape with a flat side that enables said towelreceptacle to be mounted on a flat surface via said adjustable wallmounting mechanism.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein said towelreceptacle has a semi-conical shape.
 5. The device of claim 3, whereinsaid inferior opening and superior opening have a shape that ispolygonal, ellipsis, semi-ellipsis or a mixture thereof wherein the sizeof each opening may be construed from one or more dimensions of saidopenings.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein said one or more dimensionsis the length of a side, chord, radius, arc, angle(s) or a mixture thereof depending on the shape of said inferior or superior opening.
 7. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein the magnitude of said one or more dimensionsof said superior opening is proportional to the towel basket. 8.(canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. The device of claim 6,wherein said towel receptacle has a semi-conical shape with a height ofapproximately 30 inches, a superior opening having a semi-circle shapewith a radius (i.e., said dimension) of approximately 12 inches, and aninferior opening having a semicircle shape with a radius ofapproximately 4.5 inches.
 12. The device of claim 4, wherein said towelreceptacle has a height of in the range of about 18 inches to about 50inches, said superior opening has a width in the range of about 16inches to about 40 inches and a depth in the range of about 6 inches toinches, and said inferior opening has a width in the range of about 4inches to about 12 inches and a depth in the range of about 2 inches toabout
 6. 13. The device of claim 12, wherein said towel has a height ofabout 30 inches, a superior opening with a width of about 24 inches anda depth of about 12 inches, and the inferior opening has a width ofabout 8 inches and a depth of about 4 inches.
 14. The device of claim12, wherein said inferior opening further comprises a rubber grommetoperable to prevent towels from falling through said inferior opening.15. The device of claim 1, wherein said adjustable wall mountingmechanism is comprised of a fixed mount and an adjustable mount.
 16. Thedevice of claim 15, wherein said fixed mount is operable to fix saidreceptacle lid in place and is based on brackets, screws/nails,adhesives or any mounting mechanism operable to firmly affix the saidreceptacle lid in place
 17. The device of claim 15, wherein saidadjustable mount is operable to mount said towel receptacle on a flatsurface and reposition it on a vertical track.
 18. The device of claim17, wherein said towel receptacle is in said reloading orientation whensaid towel receptacle is at the lowermost point on said vertical track.19. The device of claim 18, wherein said towel receptacle is in saiddispensing orientation when at the said towel receptacle is at theuppermost point on said vertical track.
 20. The device of claim 19,wherein said adjustable mount is based off drawer slides,rollers/carriages with guide rails, linear motion shaft, or positioningslides.
 21. The device of claim 19, wherein said adjustable mountfurther comprises a locking mechanism, operable to lock said towelreceptacle at one or more points on said vertical track.
 22. The deviceof claim 21, wherein said one or more points comprises at least theuppermost point on said vertical track.
 23. The device of claim 19,wherein said adjustable mount is based on rollers/carriages with guiderails.